By Jack Butler
Spending a week working with Disney in California is not something a lot of people can say they’ve done.
But this is no longer the case for four students who presented their work to Disney as a part of the ImagiNation Design competition last month.
As a team they were tasked with conceiving, developing and presenting a hypothetical theme park attraction for the year 3011.
Beginning the project in early September and finishing in late January, their project, “Mirrors on the Moon: Hench’s Discovery,” qualified them as one out of six finalists to go to Los Angeles and present it to Disney.
The Disney competition was designed to allow participants to show off their capabilities in the industry, as well as the opportunity to gain practical knowledge from experienced professionals in the field.
Once the parameters were set, the four members split off into their own specializations. Jason Clarke, a graduate sequential arts student, used his experience working with home theaters to oversee the technical aspects of his project, as well as serving as the project manager.
Sequential art alumni, Geoff Shaw and Marissa Garner, who both graduated in 2011, worked on others aspects, such as storyboards, creature design and environmental design.
“Marissa is … a huge fan of everything Walt Disney, so she brings to the table that knowledge,” said Clarke.
Fourth-year interactive design/game development student Ben Gray was brought in during the later stages of the project, working as a “sounding board” for the group. His contribution involved interfacing and presenting the project as a whole.
As an experience, the group demonstrated great enthusiasm for the project, collectively agreeing that it was exhausting, but rewarding. Shaw described it as a wonderful way to “prepare for the work environment that we’d potentially be a part of.”
Garner agreed.
“[It was] a very advantageous opportunity that wouldn’t be otherwise available,” she said.
The team presented their project in Glendale, Calif. from Jan. 30 to Feb. 3.
SCAD ImagiNations Team:
Ben Gray: Game design
Jason Clarke: Technical elements
Marissa Garner: Environmental design
Geoff Shaw: Creature Design
